EP3221933B1 - Automated cable breakout assembly and method - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD
• The present disclosure is directed to an apparatus for use with a towing system and a method for aligning elements of a towing system.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
• In various applications, it may be necessary or desirable to tow multiple vehicles or other bodies behind a vessel. For example, a ship, submarine, or other naval vessel may use multiple bodies to support towed sonar array applications or other applications. As a particular example, one or more towed bodies could include transmit arrays, and one or more other towed bodies could include receive arrays. The transmit arrays generate acoustic signals that reflect off objects and return to the receive arrays. In order to connect multiple bodies to a vessel for towing, separate tow cables are often needed, which increases the complexity and cost of the overall system.
• US 8,104,419 B2 discloses a system for automatically attaching and handling a submersible object having at least one transmission antenna, towed by a tow line. The system comprises at least one automatic attaching device to removably mechanically attach the submersible object to a drag line and to link the submersible object to a structure conveying signals and energy in the drag line. The automatic attaching device comprises a male element secured to one of the drag line and the submersible object and a female element secured to one of the drag line and the submersible object. Insertion of the male element into the female element is carried out automatically by sliding the drag line into the female element.
• GB 795,322 A discloses a rotatable connection for a towing cable having a central conductor, which connection comprises a pair of relatively-rotatable and axially-aligned sleeves having external first and second flanges at their inner ends. A sleeve with an inwardly extending third flange screws on to the first flange so as to embrace the end of the sleeve carrying second flange, and a ball-race is located between the second and third flanges. The sleeves carry insulators which in turn carry contacts to which the conductors are connected and between which sliding contact is made by a spring plunger. The ends of the cable are gripped by members, each consisting of a sleeve into the ends of which plugs are screwed so as to compress soft-metal members between the cable and the sleeve. Each member is anchored to the connection, so that the towing strain is taken by the sleeves.
• WO 88/10525 A1 discloses a self-aligning electrical connector for aligning and connecting multiple pins of a male coupler with corresponding multiple pin sockets of a female coupler in a blind environment. A cylindrical standpipe is attached to and extends axially from the female connector. The end of the standpipe remote from the female coupler comprises a ramp or cam sloping to a lug slot in the standpipe that extends toward the male coupler. The male coupler includes a lug comprising a cam follower or roller for following the cam of the standpipe. During connection of the couplers, the action of the cam follower on the cam causes axial rotation of the male coupler until the cam follower engages the lug slot to align the couplers.
• US 1,613,825 A discloses an automatic connecter comprising two sections formed of metal having interfitting parts, each being provided with an annular flange, insulating blocks mounted upon opposite sides of each flange, and means for securing the blocks together. Electrodes are mounted in the blocks of one of the sections and have a pair of expanded fingers, the blocks of the other section being provided with electrodes having projecting ends adapted to be received within the expanded fingers of the first mentioned electrodes. One of the sections is provided with a split guide having its free end provided with a cam portion and the other section is provided with a sleeve adapted to be received within the guide, and a lug is engageable with the cam portion for positioning the sections in cooperative electrically connecting relation.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
• This disclosure provides an automated breakout assembly (ABA) and method for engaging the ABA.
• In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides an apparatus according to claim 1.
• In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a method according to claim 12.
• Other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions, and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts:
• FIGURE 1 illustrates an example of a towing system according to embodiments of the present disclosure;
• FIGURE 2 illustrates an example of a leading towed body coupled to a tow cable via an automated breakout assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure;
• FIGURE 3 illustrates the automated breakout assembly (ABA) ofFIGURE 2 in a disengaged state;
• FIGURE 4 illustrates a rear of a tow ball facing a front of a tow ball receiver for clocking and mating according to embodiments of the present disclosure;
• FIGURE 5 illustrates a longitudinal cross-section of an example tow ball according to embodiments of the present disclosure;
• FIGURE 6 illustrates a lateral cross-section of an example tow cable according to embodiments of the present disclosure;
• FIGURES 7A and7B illustrate an example aft tow point socket according to embodiments of the present disclosure;
• FIGURES 8A and8B illustrate a solid assembly view of the tow socket ofFIGURES 7A and7B mounted to an aft tow point;
• FIGURE 9 illustrates a method of engaging an ABA according to embodiments of the present disclosure; and
• FIGURES 10A through 12C illustrate various operations within the method of engaging an ABA inFIGURE 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• This disclosure provides an automated cable breakout assembly that can be used to connect multiple vehicles or other bodies to a vessel using a single tow cable. The automated cable breakout assembly also provides an automated interconnection, meaning little or no human intervention may be required to properly align a towed vehicle or other body to a connector on the tow cable. Further, the automated cable breakout assembly allows for interconnection at any mid-point of a tow cable, meaning signals can be received from or provided to the tow cable at various points between the ends of the tow cable. In addition, implementing the automated cable breakout assembly (ABA) with the design features described herein will reduce or eliminate the risk of cable damage due to mating rotational alignment and/or towed body rotation due to rotational stiffness of the tow cable.
• These or other benefits can be obtained via the use of a tow ball that structurally anchors a cable. The tow ball has embedded connectors that rotationally align with mating connectors embedded in a tow socket, which is fixed to a towed vehicle or other towed body. When a randomly-aligned tow ball enters the tow socket, a cam follower of the tow ball drives a rotation cam fixed to a rotation sleeve in the tow socket to achieve rotational alignment. Mating occurs via (drag) tension in the tow cable.
• Among other things, example features of this approach include the tow socket's rotation sleeve and its peripheral hardware, which allow for automated interconnection without cable damage and/or towed body rotation once the towed vehicle or other body is launched. Other features include a low-friction rotation sleeve with its integral cam and embedded socket connectors, plus a flexible cable wired to the connectors in the socket and its return mechanism that re-align the cable entry slots of the outer housing with the inner rotation sleeve.
• Additional details regarding one example implementation of the automated cable breakout assembly are provided below. The automated cable breakout assembly could be used in any suitable application, such as in towed array sonar applications or other applications where multiple vehicles or other bodies are towed using a common tow cable. Examples of towed sonar array applications where the automated cable breakout assembly disclosed herein could be used to couple vessels to towed vehicles or other bodies are disclosed inU.S. Patent No. 6,683,819 andU.S. Patent No. 7,046,582. However, the automated cable breakout assembly disclosed here could be used in any other suitable applications, including military and commercial applications. Example applications could include towed array sonar applications for submarine detection, search and rescue operations, underwater navigation, or underwater mapping applications.
• FIGURE 1 illustrates an example of atowing system 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In thetowing system 100, avessel 105 tows one or more bodies that communicate signals to each other through a single cable that mechanically tethers the bodies to each other and to the vessel. Various components of the towing system form an automated breakout assembly (ABA) to achieve an electrical breakout interconnection and load transfer between atow cable 110 and one or more towed bodies 115-120. Thetowing system 100 includes thevessel 105, thetow cable 110, one or more towed bodies 115-120, and at least one ABA 125. Thetowing system 100 can include towed bodies connected in series, such that one towed body leads another towed body, and the other towed body trails its leader. In the example shown, thetowed body 115 represents a leading towed body, and thetowed body 120 represents a trailing towed body. In a specific example, the distance between the leading towedbody 115 and the trailing towedbody 120 can be several thousand feet.
• An auxiliary tow ball at theforward tow point 140 is a component that enables certain functions of theABA 125 as described herein. The auxiliary tow ball at theforward tow point 140 bears the drag loading of the towedbody 115 and all that is towed behind it. This enables the cable between the ABA tow ball (i.e., tow ball within the ABA 125) and the auxiliary (forward) tow ball to be slack during towing operations and enables the ABA tow ball to remain engaged by the drag force of the trailing towedbody 120.
• Thevessel 105 tows the towed bodies 115-120 in aforward direction 130 by using thetow cable 110. Thevessel 105 can float on thesurface 135 of a body of liquid, such as water in an ocean or lake. A host ship is an example of thevessel 105.
• Thetow cable 110 tethers the towed bodies 115-120 to each other and to thevessel 105, restricting movement in undesired directions. Thetow cable 110 extends from thevessel 105 to various tow points on the leading towedbody 115, and further to a tow point of the trailing towedbody 120. Thetow cable 110 is coupled (i.e., connected or mechanically attached) to thevessel 105 and each of the towed bodies 115-120. That is, thetow cable 110 includes one end that is coupled to thevessel 105, and another end that is attached to the trailing towedbody 120. Thetow cable 110 also includes one or more tow balls (described more particularly below) that each form a portion of anABA 125 for interconnecting any mid-point of thetow cable 110 to a towed body 115-120. Thetow cable 110 is a single cable, wherein the line C represents a location for a lateral cross-section of thetow cable 110. The circle with an "x" through the center represents a direction into the page for the cross-section cut along the line C.
• The towingsystem 100 can be an underwater towing system, wherein the leading towedbody 115 and the trailing towedbody 120 are submerged during a towing operation. The leading towedbody 115 includes aforward tow point 140, a hull, and anaft tow point 145 to which mid-points of thetow cable 110 connect. The leading towedbody 115 includes a transmit array configured to accept a sound navigation and ranging (SONAR) transmit signal from the towingvessel 105 through thetow cable 110. Correspondingly, the trailing towedbody 120 includes a forward tow point to which the end of thetow cable 110 connects, and a receivearray 150 configured to transmit SONAR signals to and accept power from the towingvessel 105.
• The zoomed-in portion ofFIGURE 1 shows theABA 125 at a closer point of view. In this embodiment, theABA 125 transfers load between thetow cable 110 and the leading towedbody 115. That is, theABA 125 is formed from the tow ball of thetow cable 110 and a tow socket of the leading towedbody 115.
• AlthoughFIGURE 1 illustrates one example of atowing system 100, various changes may be made toFIGURE 1. For example, the relative sizes, shapes, and dimensions of the various components shown inFIGURE 1 are for illustration only. Each component inFIGURE 1 could have any other size, shape, and dimensions.
• FIGURE 2 illustrates an example of a leading towedbody 200 coupled to atow cable 205 via anautomated breakout assembly 210 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. For ease of explanation, the leading towedbody 200 is described as being used in thetowing system 100 ofFIGURE 1. However, the leading towedbody 200 could be used in any other suitable system.
• The leading towedbody 200 includes aforward tow point 215, ahull 220, anaft tow point 225, and a transmit array. TheABA 210 is mounted to theaft tow point 225 and is configured to connect theaft tow point 225 to a mid-point of thetow cable 205. An auxiliary tow ball that is forward-bearing at theforward tow point 215 is a part of thecable 205 and is spaced a distance from theABA 210 that is greater than the distance between the aft and forward tow points 225 and 215.
• The leading towedbody 200 andtow cable 205 could, for example, be used in thetowing system 100 ofFIGURE 1. For example, theforward direction 130 indicates the direction toward which a vessel, such as thevessel 105, tows the leading towedbody 200, bearing the drag loading attow point 215. Note thatcomponents 210, 215, 220, and 225 inFIGURE 2 could be the same as or similar tocorresponding components 125, 140, the hull, and 145 inFIGURE 1. These components inFIGURE 2 can operate in the same or similar manner as the corresponding components inFIGURE 1.
• The zoomed-in portion ofFIGURE 2 shows theABA 210 at a close point of view. As shown, theABA 210 is in an engaged state, where the tow ball of thetow cable 205 is electrically and mechanically coupled to thetow socket 230 of the leading towedbody 200. Thetow socket 230 of the leading towedbody 200 includes anouter housing 235 forming a fixed sleeve into which the tow ball of thetow cable 205 can slide into for engaging or slide out of for disengaging the tow ball of thetow cable 205. Thetow socket 230 also includes afront plate 240 fastened to a front of theouter housing 235 and providing a front surface of thetow socket 230. Internal components of thetow socket 230 include a rotation sleeve, a tow ball receiver that is a component of a tow socket connection assembly, low friction rings, and a cam, each of which are described more particularly below with reference toFIGURES 7B and8. In the engaged state, as the tow ball of thetow cable 205 is disposed within the sleeve of thetow socket 230, the tow ball is hidden from view from the side perspective ofFIGURE 2. In the disengaged state, the tow ball of thetow cable 205 is outside of the sleeve of thetow socket 230, and would be visible from the side perspective ofFIGURE 2.
• Afirst portion 205a of thetow cable 205 extends from theforward tow point 215 to the vessel. Asecond portion 205b of thetow cable 205 extends from theforward tow point 215 to thetow socket 230. Athird portion 205c of thetow cable 205 extends from thetow socket 230 to a tow point of the trailing towedbody 120.
• AlthoughFIGURE 2 illustrates one example of a towedbody 200, various changes may be made toFIGURE 2. For example, the relative sizes, shapes, and dimensions of the various components shown inFIGURE 2 are for illustration only. Each component inFIGURE 2 could have any other size, shape, and dimensions.
• FIGURES 3 through 12C illustrate details of theABA 210 ofFIGURE 2 according to this disclosure. For ease of explanation, theABA 210 is described as being a component of the leading towedbody 200 that is used in thesystem 100 ofFIGURE 1. However, theABA 210 could be used in any other suitable system.
• FIGURE 3 illustrates theABA 210 ofFIGURE 2 in a disengaged state. In the disengaged state, thetow ball 305 of thetow cable 205 is outside of thetow socket 230. In the position shown, thethird portion 205c of thetow cable 205 is disposed within thetow socket 230, and thetow ball 305 is positioned to be radially aligned with the sleeve.
• In this perspective, namely, forward of thetow socket 230 facing aft, an external surface is shown, including thefront surface 310 andside surface 315, of thetow socket 230. The external surface of thetow socket 230 has the shape of a circular tube or sleeve with a wedge notch cutout (i.e., slot) at approximately its 12 o'clock position. The wedge notch cutout extends from thefront surface 310 to the rear surface of thetow socket 230. Thefront surface 310 includes anouter circumference 320 at the external surface of thetow socket 230, and aninner circumference 325 formed by a hole through the entire length of thetow socket 230. Theinner circumference 325 at thefront surface 310 forms an entrance for thetow ball 305 to enter the hole.
• Theside surface 315 includes the round external surface of theouter housing 235 formed at theouter circumference 320 and amount rail portion 330 that extends radially outward from the round external surface of theouter housing 235. Themount rail portion 330 allows bolts to fasten thetow socket 230 to theaft tow point 225 by extending vertically through themount rail portion 330. Themount rail portion 330 is fastened to theouter housing 235 by bolts extending horizontally through themount rail portion 330. Other methods can be used to attach thetow socket 230 to theaft tow point 225, such as welding.
• Thetow ball 305 includes multiple cable interfaces configured to connect to thetow cable 205. These cable interface components can function separately or as intrinsic protection, strength members, or U-joint-type bend limiters. More particularly, thetow ball 305 includes aforward cable interface 335 to couple to thesecond portion 205b of thetow cable 205. Thetow ball 305 includes a rear cable interface (shown inFIGURE 4 by reference number 410) to couple to thethird portion 205c of thetow cable 205. Theforward cable interface 335 can be similar to therear cable interface 410, namely, including u-joints with a threaded cylinder configured to mate with thesecond portion 205b of thetow cable 205. That is, thesecond portion 205b of thetow cable 205 can connect to thetow ball 305 via theforward cable interface 335 in a same or similar way that thethird portion 205c connects with thetow ball 305 via therear cable interface 410.
• Thetow ball 305 includes aball member 340 between theforward cable interface 335 andrear cable interface 410. Theball member 340 can have the shape of a cylinder with a front and rear truncated cone on each of its bases (as shown inFIGURE 3), or another suitable shape that complements the shape of the internal components of thetow socket 230. The cylinder portion of theball member 340 includescam follower 345 disposed within a recess. Thecam follower 345 can be a flat head pin that fits into the pin holes 350 within the recess. The pin head of thecam follower 345 protrudes radially outward from the cylinder portion of the external surface of theball member 340. When thecam follower 345 enters thetow socket 230, the pin head of thecam follower 345 contacts an internal surface of a rotation cam (shown inFIGURES 7A and7B by reference number 725), thereby initiating a clocking operation. That is, movement of thetow cable 205 in a direction of the longitudinal axis of theABA 210, such as during a winching operation, causes thetow ball 305 to slide into and interact with the internal components of thetow socket 230.
• FIGURE 4 illustrates a rear of thetow ball 305 facing a front of atow ball receiver 405 for clocking and mating according to embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the rear of thetow ball 305 includes therear cable interface 410 and multiple (for example, eleven) pin holes 415 (includingpin holes 415a-415b) within its rear truncated cone; and the 12 o'clock position of the rear truncated cone includes an unpierced portion betweenpin holes 415a and 415b. Correspondingly, the front of thetow ball receiver 405 includes the same number (for example, eleven) of pin holes 420 (includingpin hole 420a) spaced apart from each other by a same interval of pin holes 415 of thetow ball 305. When thepin hole 420a immediately beside the wedge notch cutout aligns with thepin hole 415a, the 12 o'clock position of thetow socket 230 is clocked into alignment with the 12 o'clock position of thetow ball 305.
• Dowel pins (shown inFIGURE 7B by reference number 745) can be inserted into pairs of corresponding pin holes to establish accurate final alignment of thetow ball receiver 405 with thetow ball 305. That is, one end of a dowel pin can be inserted into either thepin hole 415a or thepin hole 420a such that when thetow socket 230 andtow ball 305 are clocked into close alignment as a result of the cam follower intow ball 305 moving thetow socket 230, movement of thetow ball 305 toward thetow ball receiver 405 inserts the opposite end of the dowel pin into its mating pin hole (415a or 420a). As such, the center longitudinal axis of eachpin hole 415 can be substantially collinear with the center longitudinal axis of eachcorresponding pin hole 420.
• Therear cable interface 410 includes a threadedend 425 and au-joint end 430. The threadedend 425 is configured to threadedly attach to the protection / strength member / bend limiter ofcable portion 205c of thetow cable 205. Theu-joint end 430 includes a u-joint end in contact with the rear truncated cone. Theu-joint end 430 includes a pin about which the threadedend 425 pivotably attaches to theu-joint end 430.
• AlthoughFIGURE 4 illustrates one example of a clocking and mating hardware configuration between thetow ball 305 andtow ball receiver 405, various changes may be made toFIGURE 4. For example, the relative sizes, shapes, and dimensions of the various components shown inFIGURE 4 are for illustration only. Each component inFIGURE 4 could have any other size, shape, dimensions, and number of connectors. As another example, other suitable clocking and mating configurations can be used, such as a ball and divot on mating surfaces.
• FIGURE 5 illustrates a longitudinal cross-section of anexample tow ball 500 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. For ease of explanation, thetow ball 500 ofFIGURE 5 is described as being a component of thetow cable 205 that is used in thesystem 100 ofFIGURE 1.
• Thetow ball 500 includesconductors 505 throughout its length, from the forward end to the rear end. Theconductors 505 include an inner core ofconductors 510 that carry power and signals to and from the receivearray 150 in an aft direction. The inner core ofconductors 510 includes multiple conductors, such as fiber optics for data communications. The inner core ofconductors 510 passes through thetow ball 500 substantially along the center longitudinal axis of thetow ball 500.
• Theconductors 505 include a layer ofbreakout conductors 515 that surround the inner core ofconductors 510, such as in a concentric manner. The power and signals transmitted to the transmitter of the leading towedbody 200 is carried by the layer ofbreakout conductors 515.
• Thetow ball 500 includes a plurality (e.g., eleven) ofbreakout connectors 520. Eachbreakout connector 520 includes one end that connects to a corresponding conductor and another end that is disposed inside of a pin hole (e.g.,pin hole 415 for making electrical contact with a connector in the tow socket 230). In this longitudinal cross-sectional view, twobreakout connectors 520 are shown, and each is connected to abreakout conductor 525 from the layer ofbreakout conductors 515. Accordingly, inside of the tow ball, eachbreakout conductor 525 spreads apart from the inner core ofconductors 510 to reach a correspondingbreakout connector 520. As shown, thetow ball 500 is pre-wired to the multiple (e.g., eleven)breakout connectors 520 within thetow ball 500 to mate with the same number of rotatable sleeve connectors in thetow socket 230.
• Thetow ball 500 represents a portion of a single tow cable that further includes a protective/structural/bend limiting member 530 surrounding the layer ofbreakout conductors 515, such as in a concentric manner.Member 530 can include multiple wires, such as steel wires, or other load bearing sleeving or U-joint components suitable for winching and with standing tension.
• Like inFIGURE 1, the line C represents the location for the lateral cross-section of the single tow cable, and the circle with an "x" through the center represents a direction into the page for the cross-section cut along the line C.
• FIGURE 6 illustrates a lateral cross-section of anexample tow cable 600 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Thetow cable 600 is a single cable that can be the same as or similar to thetow cable 110 or 205. For example, the line C represents the location for the lateral cross-section of thetow cable 110. The arrows attached to the line C represent a direction for the cross-section cut along the line C (i.e., the direction represented by the circle with an "x" through the center inFIGURES 1 and5). A lateral cross section of thesecond portion 205b of thetow cable 205 is similar to or substantially the same as a lateral cross section of the tow cable disposed inside of the forward end of thetow ball 305, 500.
• Thetow cable 600 includes three concentric layers, namely, an inner core of conductors (e.g., inner core of conductors 510), an intermediate layer of breakout conductors, and a structural member forming an outer layer. In the example shown, the inner core includes sixinner conductors 605 arranged in a circular manner surrounding acenter conductor 610. Thecenter conductor 610 includes optical fibers configured to carry data communications. More particularly, thecenter conductor 610 carries a SONAR signals to and from thevessel 105. In certain embodiments, theinner conductors 605 can have the same or similar function as thecenter conductor 610. In certain embodiments, thecenter conductor 610 provides structure to thetow cable 110.
• In the example shown, intermediate layer of breakout conductors includes a plurality (e.g., eleven) ofbreakout conductors 615. Eachbreakout conductor 615 is formed of an electrically conductive material, such as copper, and carries electrical power.
• In the example shown, the outer layer structural member includes two sublayers of tension resilient wires. The outer layer includeswires 620 with a smaller diameter than thewires 625 of the penultimate layer.
• Note thatcomponents 605 and 610 of the inner core,components 615 of the intermediate layer, and components 620-625 of the outer layer inFIGURE 6 could be the same as or similar to corresponding components of the inner core ofconductors 510,components 525 of the layer ofbreakout conductors 515, and thestructural member 530 inFIGURE 5. These components inFIGURE 6 can operate in the same or similar manner as the corresponding components inFIGURE 5.
• AlthoughFIGURE 6 illustrates one example of atow cable 600, various changes may be made toFIGURE 6. For example, the relative sizes, shapes, and dimensions of the various components shown inFIGURE 6 are for illustration only. Each component inFIGURE 6 could have any other size, shape, and dimensions. As another example, the intermediate layer can include any suitable number ofbreakout conductors 615, so long as the number matches the number of pin holes 415 in thetow ball 305, 500 or number of pin holes 420 in thetow ball receiver 405.
• FIGURES 7A and7B illustrate an example aft tow point socket 700 (hereinafter referred to as "tow socket") according to embodiments of the present disclosure.FIGURE 7A shows an assembly view of thetow socket 700.FIGURE 7B shows an exploded view of thetow socket 700.FIGURES 7A and7B will be described together.
• Thetow socket 700 includes anouter housing 705, amount rail 710 on each side of theouter housing 705, afront plate 715 fastened to a front of the outer housing, and other external components. Theouter housing 705 extends from thefront plate 715 to theback plate 735. Thetow socket 700 also includes internal components housed within theouter housing 705. The internal components include arotation sleeve 720, arotation cam 725, the tow ball receiver 405 (shown inFIGURE 4), athrust washer 730, aback plate 735, aguide cam 740, dowel pins 745, a slottedspring pin 750, various fasteners, and other internal components. The slottedspring pin 750 limits the necessary cam action to a maximum rotation of about 180°.
• Thetow socket 700 could, for example, be used with the towingsystem 100 ofFIGURE 1 and the leading towedbody 200. Note thatcomponents 700, 705, and 715 inFIGURES 7A and7B could be the same as or similar tocorresponding components 210, 235, and 240 inFIGURE 2. These components inFIGURES 7A and7B can operate in the same or similar manner as the corresponding components inFIGURE 2.
• FIGURES 8A and8B illustrate a solid assembly view of thetow socket 700 ofFIGURE 7 mounted to anaft tow point 805.FIGURE 8A shows a perspective view of thetow socket 700.FIGURE 8B shows a cross-sectional view of thetow socket 700.FIGURES 8A and8B will be described together. For ease of explanation, thetow socket 700 is described as being a component of the leading towedbody 200 ofFIGURE 2. Note that theaft tow point 805 could be the same as or similar to theaft tow point 225 inFIGURE 2.
• As shown, therotation sleeve 720 wedge cut out is on top and aligned with the wedge cut out of theouter housing 705, which is the position for top-down cable entry into the center of thetow socket 700.
• The internal components of thetow socket 700 are arranged symmetrically about its longitudinal center axis and at various radial distances from the longitudinal center axis. Theouter housing 705 forms an outer fixed sleeve that does not move relative to theaft tow point 805. Multiple (e.g., two) low friction rings 810 are disposed between therotation sleeve 720 and the internal surface of theouter housing 705 to enable therotation sleeve 720 to rotate either clockwise or counterclockwise with low friction between the two surfaces. In certain embodiments, the low friction rings 810 are flush with the outer surface of therotation sleeve 720 and do not extend radially outward beyond the outer circumference of therotation sleeve 720. The low friction rings 810 can be composed of material such as Teflon or nylon. Alternatively, surface treatments applied to therotation sleeve 720 or inner surface of theouter housing 705 can provide low rotational resistance.
• Theguide cam 740 holds frontlow friction ring 810 in a fixed location relative to the front and back of therotation sleeve 720. That is, theguide cam 740 is fixed to an internal surface of therotation sleeve 720. Theguide cam 740 is disposed radially within therotation sleeve 720 in a same concentric layer as therotation cam 725. Theguide cam 740 prevents thecam follower 345 ontow ball 305 from jamming when thetow cable 205 is not well aligned axially withsocket assembly 700 prior to towball 305 insertion.
• Thetow ball receiver 405 forms the inner most concentric layer of thetow socket 700. The inner circumference of thetow ball receiver 405 is sufficient for the inner core of conductors (e.g., inner core of conductors 510) to pass through. In certain embodiments, the inner circumference of the tow ball receiver is wider than the outer circumference of the inner core (e.g., a conduit including the inner conductors 605) by a clearance distance. Near the rear of theouter housing 705, therotation cam 725 is disposed radially between thetow ball receiver 405 and therotation sleeve 720. More particularly, the front of thetow ball receiver 405 that includes the entrance to the pin holes 420 has an outer circumference corresponding to the inner circumference of therotation cam 725. Thetow ball receiver 405 extends in an aft direction from its front to a distance beyond theback plate 735, and eachpin hole 420 extends the entire length of the cylinder portion of thetow ball receiver 405. Thetow ball receiver 405 includes a flange near its front, and the flange protrudes radially outward from the outer circumference of the cylinder portion of thetow ball receiver 405.
• Thefasteners 815 extend through and fasten the flange of thetow ball receiver 405 to therotation sleeve 720. Accordingly, thetow ball receiver 405 rotates together in unison with therotation sleeve 720 while remaining in a fixed orientation relative to therotation sleeve 720.
• Thefasteners 820 extend through and fasten therotation sleeve 720 to therotation cam 725. Accordingly, therotation cam 725 rotates together in unison with therotation sleeve 720 while remaining in a fixed orientation relative to therotation sleeve 720. That is, therotation sleeve 720, therotation cam 725, and thetow ball receiver 405 are fixed in orientation relative to each other and rotate as a unit.
• Fasteners 825 extend through and fasten theback plate 735 to theouter housing 705. Accordingly, theback plate 735 remains in a fixed orientation relative to theouter housing 705 and theaft tow point 805.
• Thethrust washer 730 is disposed longitudinally between theback plate 735 and the rear face of the flange of thetow ball receiver 405. Thethrust washer 730 has an outer circumference substantially the same as the outer circumference of therotation sleeve 720, and has an inner circumference substantially the same as the outer circumference of the rear portion oftow ball receiver 405.
• AlthoughFIGURE 8 illustrates one example of atow socket 700, various changes may be made toFIGURE 8. For example, the relative sizes, shapes, and dimensions of the various components shown inFIGURE 8 are for illustration only. Each component inFIGURE 8 could have any other size, shape, and dimensions. As another example, thetow socket 700 could include flexible pigtails (shown inFIGURES 10B and 11B as reference number 1005) from a back side of thetow ball receiver 405.
• FIGURE 9 illustrates amethod 900 of engaging an ABA according to embodiments of the present disclosure. For ease of explanation, themethod 900 will be described as being implemented by theABA 210.
• Inblock 905, thetow socket 230 receives thetow cable 205 into the center of thetow socket 230. More particularly, at the start of themethod 900, the wedge notch cutout at a top position that is approximately a 12 o'clock position. The wedge notch cutout of the internal components (i.e.,rotation sleeve 720,rotation cam 725, and tow ball receiver 405) are rotationally aligned with the wedge notch cutout of theouter housing 235 in order for thetow cable 205 to be lowered in the center . Thethird portion 205c of thetow cable 205 is initially above thetow socket 230, and gets lowered into the wedge notch cutout of theouter housing 235 and internal components by an automated process.
• Inblock 910, the randomly-alignedtow ball 305 passes through the entrance of thetow socket 230. That is, thetow socket 230 receives thetow ball 305 at the random orientation. More particularly, once thethird portion 205c of thetow cable 205 is disposed within the center of thetow socket 230, a winching operation moves thetow cable 205 such that thetow ball 305 moves in the aft direction.
• Inblock 915, thetow socket 230 rotates to rotationally align the tow socket pin holes 420 (including corresponding tow socket connectors therewithin) with the pin holes 415 (including corresponding breakout connectors 520) of thetow ball 305. More particularly, force of thecam follower 345 against therotation cam 725 drives therotation sleeve 720, therotation cam 725, and thetow ball receiver 405 to rotate as a unit to a point of close final alignment. Final precision alignment occurs when two close-tolerance dowel pins 745 engage two (2) towball pin holes 415a with two (2) towsocket pin holes 420a prior to the connectors mating. That is, final precision alignment occurs when an opposite end of adowel pin 745 that has one end disposed within the towsocket pin hole 420a enters thecorresponding pin hole 415a.
• Inblock 920, thetow socket 230 mates (e.g., electrically couples) to thetow ball 305. That is,conductors 420 within thetow ball receiver 405 each have connectors that form an electrical connection to theintermediate layer conductors 515 within thetow ball 500 through its corresponding connectors.
• AlthoughFIGURE 9 illustrates one example of method of engaging anABA 210, various changes may be made toFIGURE 9. For example, while shown as a series of steps, various steps inFIGURE 9 could overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a different order, or occur any number of times. As another example, a reverse order or the engagement process implements a disengagement process.
• FIGURES 10A through 12C illustrate various operations within method of engaging an ABA inFIGURE 9.FIGURES 10A and10B illustrate the operation ofblock 905 inFIGURE 9.FIGURE 10A illustrates the operation ofblock 905 from a point of view looking at a forward or front face of thetow socket 230 in the aft direction.FIGURE 10B illustrates the operation ofblock 905 from a point of view looking at the rear face of thetow ball receiver 405 oftow socket 230 in theforward direction 130. Thetow ball 305 is outside of and forward of thetow socket 230 according to theforward direction 130. The tow ball orientation is initially random relative to the orientation of thetow socket 230. The tow ball connectors are keyed to thecam follower 345, while the tow socket connectors are keyed to therotation cam 725 androtation sleeve 720. Theflex cable 1005 has slack to rotate clockwise or counter clockwise. Theflex cable 1005 provides a connection from the towed body to the rotating sleeve.
• FIGURES 11A and11B illustrate the operation ofblock 910 inFIGURE 9.FIGURE 11A illustrates the operation ofblock 910 from a point of view looking at a forward or front face of thetow socket 230 in the aft direction.FIGURE 11B illustrates the operation ofblock 910 from a point of view looking at the rear face of thetow ball receiver 405 of thetow socket 230 in theforward direction 130. Thecam follower 345 makes surface-to-surface contact with the internal surface of therotation cam 725, forcing therotation sleeve 720 to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise based on whether thecam follower 345 contacts a right or left side of therotation cam 725. In the example shown, thecam follower 345 protrudes leftward (looking aft) as it contacts the left side of therotation cam 725, and as a result, thetow ball receiver 405 rotates counterclockwise (looking aft).
• FIGURES 12A,12B, and 12C illustrate the operation ofblock 920 inFIGURE 9.FIGURE 12A illustrates the operation ofblock 920 from a point of view looking at a forward or front face of thetow socket 230 in the aft direction.FIGURES 12B and 12C illustrates the operation ofblock 920 from a point of view looking at the rear face of thetow socket 230 in theforward direction 130, wherein theflex cable 1005 wraps clockwise and counterclockwise, respectively. The aft end of thetow ball 305 bears on thetow ball receiver 405 oftow socket 230 as a result of tension on thethird portion 205c of the tow cable. Theflex cable 1005 wraps zero to 180° in the clockwise or counter clockwise direction.

Claims (14)

1. An apparatus (210) comprising:

   a tow socket (230) configured to receive a randomly-aligned tow ball (305) comprising a cam follower (345), the tow socket (230) having a rotatable sleeve (720), a rotation cam (725), and multiple mating connectors (420), each mating connector (420) electrically coupled to an electrical conductor,

   wherein the rotation cam (725) is coupled to the rotatable sleeve (720) and is configured to rotate the rotatable sleeve (720) to substantially align the mating connectors (420) of the tow socket (230) with connectors (520) of the tow ball (305) such that each electrical conductor electrically coupled to one of the mating connectors (420) electrically couples to a corresponding one of the connectors (520) of the tow ball (305), an internal surface of the rotation cam (725) is configured to make surface-to-surface contact with the cam follower (345) such that the cam follower (345) drives the rotation cam (725) fixed in orientation relative to the rotatable sleeve (720) in the tow socket (230) to achieve rotational alignment according to a force from physical contact between the rotation cam (725) and the cam follower (345).
2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a fixed sleeve (705) within which the rotatable sleeve (720) is configured to rotate.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the fixed sleeve (705) is configured to fixedly attach to a body.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rotatable sleeve (720) is configured to receive the tow ball (305) through an entrance.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus (210) is fixedly attached to a body (200) to be towed, and
   wherein the tow ball (305) is a component of a cable (205) that is configured to be coupled to the body (200) in order to facilitate towing of the body (200), the cable (205) comprising multiple core connectors (510) and multiple breakout connectors (515) configured to transport power and signals.
6. A system comprising:

   a body (200) comprising an apparatus (210) according to any one of claims 1 to 4; and

   a cable (205) configured to be coupled to the body (200) in order to facilitate towing of the body (200), the cable (205) comprising multiple core connectors (510) and multiple breakout connectors (515) configured to transport signals,

   wherein the cable (205) further comprises the tow ball (305) that is configured to enter the rotatable sleeve (720) of the tow socket (230), the connectors (520) of the tow ball (305) configured to electrically couple the breakout connectors (515) of the cable (205) to the mating connectors (420) of the tow socket (230).
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the connectors of the tow ball are configured to pass through electrical conductors and optical conductors.
8. The system of claim 6, wherein the cable (205) includes a structural member (530) and electrical conductors (505) arranged concentrically.
9. The system of claim 6, wherein the tow ball (305) is disposed at a mid-point of the cable (205).
10. The system of claim 6, wherein the tow socket (230) further comprises:

    a slot configured to receive the cable (205) into the rotatable sleeve (720), and

    an entrance through which the tow ball (305) enters the rotatable sleeve (720),

    wherein the slot is arranged perpendicular to the entrance.
11. The system of claim 6, wherein movement of the cable (205) transfers a tow loading force between the cable (205) and the tow socket (230).
12. A method (900) comprising:

    receiving (905), by a tow socket (230) having a rotatable sleeve (720), a rotation cam (725) and multiple mating connectors (420), a cable (205) into the tow socket (230) through a slot, wherein the cable comprises a randomly-aligned tow ball (305) comprising a cam follower (345), and wherein each mating connector (420) is electrically coupled to an electrical conductor;

    receiving (910), by the rotatable sleeve (720), the tow ball (305) through an entrance;

    rotating the rotation cam (725) to rotate the rotatable sleeve (720) to substantially align the mating connectors (420) of the tow socket (230) with connectors (520) of the tow ball (305) such that each electrical conductor electrically coupled to one of the mating connectors (420) electrically couples to a corresponding one of the connectors (520) of the tow ball (305); and

    transferring a tow loading force between the cable and the tow socket (230) by moving the cable (205),

    wherein an internal surface of the rotation cam (725) makes surface-to-surface contact with the cam follower (345) such that the cam follower (345) drives the rotation cam (725) fixed in orientation relative to the rotatable sleeve (720) in the tow socket (230) to achieve rotational alignment according to a force from physical contact between the rotation cam (725) and the cam follower (345).
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising coupling the connectors (520) of the tow ball (305) with the mating connectors (420) of the tow socket (230).
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the slot is arranged perpendicular to the entrance.

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